


A stranger in 5 years

by toxic_virgo08



Category: Gintama
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, GinTae, Headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29757954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxic_virgo08/pseuds/toxic_virgo08
Summary: Prompt: You have a chance to go forward one year in time. What has changed in the world?The story took place 5 years before the White Curse Virus took hold of Edo.
Relationships: Sakata Gintoki/Shimura Tae
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	A stranger in 5 years

**Author's Note:**

> \- Title was lifted from a Detective Conan OVA, A stranger in 10 years
> 
> \- I have thrown in all of my headcanons on GinTae here so it’s a bit messy hahaha.

While going shopping in the district by herself, Tae Shimura had a chance encounter with a very peculiar old man. She pitied the man for it was a hot day and he sat by the roadside, clothes dirty and tattered but his hands were not outstretched. Passersby in a hurry to go to the shade were hardly throwing him a glance let alone a second look. A while back, she initially spotted the man through the window when she was looking at the swimsuits by the display window. When her items had been properly packed and she had paid the cashier, she exited the shop only to find the man still slumped against the sidewalk.

Despite the grime and dirt covering the old man’s face, she assumed the man and her father would have been the same age if their father Shimura Ken had been alive. She strode toward the man on the other side of the street and offered him a bottle of cold water. Something lit up in the man’s dull eyes when he focused on her. The man flashed her a grateful smile, gave her a wooden button, “You have a chance to go forward 5 years in time,” he said. He picked up his staff and was instantly gone after Tae blinked. Did he just disappear?

She looked at the trinket on her hand. Maybe due to the stifling heat the old man was hallucinating, she shrugged after pocketing the small item. Or maybe she was the one hallucinating. She continued to go on her way.

When she reached home, she shrugged off her clothes took a shower, and changed into more comfortable clothes momentarily forgetting about the small token the old man gave her earlier that day.

Several days passed and came her laundry day. She asked for Shinpachi’s clothes before tackling the task of the day. It was her day off and she would like to finish the laundry early so they have time to dry while the sun was still blazing strongly in the sky. Shinpachi had gone to the Yorozuya to do some odd jobs.

She pulled her hair in a messy bun on top of her head before sorting out a mountain load of clothes accumulated during the week. She was so absorbed in doing her work that she failed to notice Gin-san already entering her house and making himself comfortable at the porch just watching her.

She only noticed his presence when she sensed someone staring intently at her back. Not the kind that gorilla creep Kondo gave but this one still made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. She was sure it wasn’t Kondo because her flying kicks had decommissioned him and he had to stay in bed for days to recuperate. Kondo basically asked for it and she just gave him an extra dose of his own medicine.

She whipped around to see Gin-san lazing on her porch picking on his nose.

“You look like a creep spying on a woman you perm-headed lazy samurai!” she chided him.

He almost did not recognize her when she turned around, her hair was out of her usual ponytail. This look suited her too, and he never knew what a magnificent view of her nape made him think especially when she turned around. He appreciated the long slender column of her neck in full view. He did a doubletake on the direction his thoughts were going, he was becoming a creep. And she’s Patsuan’s sister for crying out loud. Shinpachi could beat the lights out of him if he stared at his sister the wrong way.

But instead, to save his face and his pride for being caught staring, he snorted, “You a woman? You’re probably flatter than the floorboards of your house,” he told her matter-of-factly.

A vein popped on her temples but she held her temper. He was bored and he was just riling her up. Just as she was putting her clothes on the clothesline, out popped the long-forgotten button the old man gave her several days ago. It fell and rolled on her foot.

She bent and gingerly picked up the button, wondering why and how it got on her belongings. As she thumbed over the aged button, a shadow fell on her. She looked up to see Gin-san standing inches from her. He was curious why she did not bother to trade insults with him.

He saw her thumbing a small, wooden button on her palm. A crease appeared on his forehead, “That Hajime’s button you carry around? Are you still pining over him?” **[1]**

As she remembered the words the old man uttered that day, she suddenly stood up. Her hands found their familiar place on Gin-san’s head and pulled his hair.

“I. Am. Not. Pining.” She gritted through her teeth for each syllable as she pulled his hair.

“Aw. Stop. Aaahh,” Gin-san held the hand prying his skull open in a futile effort to stop her, and as their hands touched, Tae had the strangest precognition.

> It was 5 years into the future, Edo was almost a wasteland. The White Curse had infected the residents of Edo, even her. She even saw herself lying on her deathbed, staring at the sky splashed with red as the sun sets on the far horizon. In it, she saw Shinpachi and Kagura, matured and hardened by the unforgiving circumstances. Tagging along with them was a strange-looking man calling himself Peen-san she had never seen in her life. It was strange but her future self felt comfortable even with a stranger around.
> 
> Despite Peen-san’s gross appearance, it almost seemed like he was family. He almost reminded her future self of Gintoki. As if he was there to be with her before she breathed her last. She saw the familiar faces of her friends – Tsukuyo, Sarutobi, and Kyubei, but she did not see Gin-san. Instead, was a headstone with his name carved on it. _It was a future with Gin-san not in it._

Everything played in her head so fast like a movie in fast forward she felt her head spinning. She opened her eyes and gasped. She still had Gintoki’s hair on her grasp, but she had stopped her movement and he had stopped his nonsensical whining.

He was looking at her funny, then he turned serious. He eyed her with concern as she opened her palm and released his hair from her chokehold.

“What is it?” he asked her. She took a step back until they were a meter apart.

“It’s nothing,” she said. Her lip quivered but she turned her back on him and proceeded to lay out her fresh laundry in the sun. She kept the button in her hand until she felt the material bite her skin with the tightness she was gripping it.

He understood it had something to do with that damned button. He did not press her for answers. Instead, he took a seat on the porch and watched her do her thing.

He did not bother her as she initially thought he would do. He just sat there, that dumb look on his face again following her every move. When he grew bored, he rummaged her cupboard and found what he was looking for, the real ~~but not the only~~ reason he went to the dojo in the first place. He left Kagura and Shinpachi to their own devices, it was just a small gig he was sure the kids could handle it with no sweat. He was craving for something sweet and he did not have the money to buy anything so he just went to the Kodokan Dojo hoping to find something sweet there. No, she’s not the person a few meters away who just tried to split his skull open with her bare hand. Ahem, he was talking along the lines of something more edible and palatable. He had it in his hand- the strawberry jam.

Just then, Tae walked up to him already finished with her laundry. “Just what do you think you’re doing Gin-san?” hands on her hips, she berated him. The button was now safely tucked away in her inside pocket.

He was saved when he saw a flier tucked away on the table. Tae followed his line of sight and said, “Katsura-san was handing those out when he stopped by the club last night,” she said.

“What was Zura doing in your club anyway, it’s not like they hold their Joi meetings there, is it?” he asked her.

“At least he was doing some work to fund his faction unlike a lazy perm-head samurai stealing food in my house,” she snapped.

He looked at the bottle of jam in his hands. He was sad to let it go but the images on the flier were far enticing. In the flier were pictures of cakes with different flavors oozing with sweetness, enough to satiate his sweet tooth and leave him a diabetic for life. (Upon closer inspection, Zura ingeniously inserted codes on the flier for his Joi member recruitment agenda.)

“Maybe we could go together to this shop’s soft opening since you’re done with your work,” he air-quoted his fingers when he said ‘work’ just to rile her up.

She glared at him. “All right then, if that’s the only way to get you off my property,” she finally conceded.

Once in the shop, they were greeted by a receptionist.

“Welcome, Ojou-sama, Danna!” the employee greeted them.

Just as they were taking a step further in the shop, the receptionist stopped them in their tracks, “Before you proceed may I ask, what is your relationship with each other?”

The two exchanged confused glances. _‘What a bother,’_ Gintoki inwardly groaned. Already, the enticing smells in the air made Gin-san’s mouth water.

“We are an engaged couple. We will get married in the fall,” Tae happily answered. She hooked her arm around Gintoki’s for good measure. She felt Gin-san tensed but she pinched his arm just enough while pointedly smiling so he won’t make a faux pas in front of the employee.

After letting them sign on his logbook, the employee graciously made way for them to enter the spacious shop.

“Oi, oi,” Gin-san said after they were out of earshot. Tae hurriedly untangled her arm from his.

“They won’t let us in if they found out we are not a couple. I thought you read what the flier said,” they started bickering again.

“I got excited when I read the free cake tasting part and everything just got blurry after that,” Gin-san said.

Tae sighed. “Now that we’re here, we might have to act as a couple so they won’t get suspicious and kick us out.”

Their first stop was a three-tier tower cake with fondant icing. An employee on standby handed them cutleries for their cake tasting. As they eagerly tasted the cake with much gusto, the employee prattled on.

“Good day to you lovely couple! This three-tier cake typically will serve 50 – 100 guests so if you have 200 guests or more, you’ll be needing five layers. Our cake artist can give the illusion of a larger cake by increasing the height with columns between the tiers [2],” she was saying.

It was kinda hard to feign interest when the love of your life was in front of you. Gintoki was hardly listening to the employee hot on their heels as they move from table to table. He was feasting his eyes with the nice arrangement of sweets and his nose with the wonderful aroma of the shop.

“Here we have the traditional cakes. You can see three tiers. The bottom layer is to be shared at the wedding, the smaller middle is for those who could not make it to the wedding, and the top tier is saved for the couple’s first wedding anniversary,” practically Tae and the employee were the ones holding a conversation.

“Maybe you should try listening to her before they kick us out of here for your gluttony,” Tae whispered to Gin-san when she got a chance to get a moment alone with Gin-san.

“Heh, you’re doing just fine. Besides I’m just so happy to be seeing that this haven exists outside of your dark matter,” he winked at her.

“Enjoy your time then. We will settle this when we get home,” Tae sweetly answered with a sickeningly sweet smile before cracking her knuckles.

Gin-san visibly paled. She’s dropping it for now but he knew that Tae never forgets. Whether that trait is a good thing or a bad thing, his future self five years later will have to thank her for it.

As the free cake sampling event for engaged couples drew to a close, the shop manager clapped his hands to get the attention of his clients.

“As a thank, you gesture for the success of this soft opening event, we had hidden cameras around capturing tender moments between couples with us today. And the couple who gets to take home a month's supply of sweets of their choice is…” he paused for dramatic effect, “the danna with the white yukata’s sleeve drooping on his obi and his fiancée, the ojou-sama in the pink kimono over there.”

Gin-san was still stuffing cake on his face when they heard the announcement. The bald manager was looking at them expectantly. Tae pointed to themselves and the host nodded.

“Yes, you are the winners of our hidden camera challenge. We watched how you bickered about which cake to try and sample until you reconciled and here you are,” the host chirped away happily.

“But before you take home your prize, you have to seal the deal with a kiss,” the host smiled that toothy smile which started to get on Tae’s nerves. She’s itching to erase that grin off his ugly mug with her fist. He was saying they secretly watched them, more like spied! Ugh! She already had enough trouble keeping off her stalker and now this. It’s a very mad world!

“What do you mean kiss? In front of all you people?!” Tae looked around and saw other couples beaming at them.

Meanwhile, Gintoki looked bored with his pinky finger poking his eardrum. “Let’s just give them what they want so we can all end this,” he deadpanned. “Peacefully,” he hastily added when he saw the look of annoyance on her face.

‘Let’s just give them what _they_ want,’ he replayed in his head. ‘What _I_ want,’ he wanted to correct himself. But that’s so lame. When he saw her with that silly veil another employee put on her head while they were sample tasting the cakes, she looked, he did not want to admit it but she looked lovely. And positively glowing. When she caught him staring, did she just blush? The cake on his hand was forgotten, he just wanted to drink in her appearance and bask in her presence.

And then she smiled at him. The kind of smile that relaxes him, made him feel special like he’s home as long as they were together. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like they did not just breeze their way into the shop to eat free cakes by pretending to be an engaged couple.

And as he took a step towards her, everything around them seemed to fade in black. Moments before, he was second-guessing himself if it was such a bad idea to trade a kiss for a cake. He took her hand and pulled her towards him. When she looked at him and met his eyes, he just knew they both wanted it. So he did.

His hands brushed Tae’s cheeks while her other hand hung uselessly on her side. He hasn’t dipped his head yet but her face was already as red as a tomato. He wasn’t faring very well too, his ears were also flushed. He angled his head towards her, she smelled the lingering taste of strawberry on his breath. Before she can process the onslaught of information from her senses suddenly in overdrive because of a certain perm-headed samurai, his lips glided over hers smoothly. Her eyes wide open in surprise then closed when she felt his heartbeat. His heart was beating fast, so was hers. Either from excitement or nervousness, she could not tell.

He kissed her softly. Like a man like him who had been to war can ever be so gentle. It was just a short kiss. They were startled by the loud clapping around them and they were forced to break from each other.

After that, she did not have much recollection of how they managed to escape the embarrassment of kissing each other in public. Everything happened in a blur. Thankfully, Gin-san had a mind to pay attention to what their troublesome host had to say. _‘Hah! He should, after all, it’s his month-long supply of sweets,’_ she thought.

“Ara, ara Gin-san, don’t just go kissing any girl without her permission or you’ll be kissing this fist,” she warned him when they were out of the premises and walking back to the Yorozuya. Shinpachi and Kagura would be thrilled for their dessert.

He wasn’t entirely sure if she was threatening him not to kiss _her_ without permission, or not to kiss any girl that wasn’t her. Either way, it’s always been just her so no worries there, though he did not voice it out.

“I know, I know. Beneath those layers you are macho,” he gestured towards her clothes.

“How dare you call a woman macho!” they started bickering again.

They did not know it at that time but the seeds of love have been planted. And so did the incubation of the White Curse virus. And in a few years, Tae still never forgot even a stranger in five years.

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes:  
> [1] giving your crush the second button conveys the message that you think of her as the most precious person to you.
> 
> [2] more info on wedding cakes here https://onefabday.com/wedding-cake-style-guide/


End file.
